Employment

Age discrimination has been the focal point in the employment arena of late following the first anniversary of the Discrimination Act coming into force.

The result of Peter Bloxham’s age discrimination claim against Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer for disparity between 55 and 54-year-olds’ pensions is one of the first significant judgments to be handed down.

The magic circle firm was unanimously found to have been proportionate in its discrimination. Most observers thought the decision could have gone either way.

This Employment Special Report examines the potential ramifications and how the Age Discrimination Act has been utilised in the past 12 months.

It also looks at whether the massive takeup on internet networking sites such as Facebook gives employers a new avenue to assess job candidates, as well as probing the question of whether employers’ assets are safe if those assets are people.